India’s Finance Ministry has issued an advisory instructing its employees to refrain from using artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT and DeepSeek for official tasks, citing concerns over data confidentiality and security. The advisory emphasized that utilizing these AI applications on office computers and devices could jeopardize the confidentiality of government data and documents, according to an internal department advisory dated 29th January.
This directive aligns with actions taken by other nations who have placed similar restrictions on the use of DeepSeek, citing data security risks. Australia has banned the AI tool Deep Seek from all government devices over concerns regarding security because of the Chinese AI startup. Italy has restricted some AI applications on the basis of vulnerability and exposure of sensitive information.
This advisory of the finance ministry, released internally before becoming public, came just prior to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s scheduled visit to India, where he is expected to have a meeting with the IT minister. In India, the very company behind ChatGPT, OpenAI, is embroiled in a slew of copyright infringement lawsuits brought by some of the largest media houses. OpenAI argued in its defense that it has not operated servers in Indian territory and therefore Indian Courts should not have jurisdiction.
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The advisory reflects a growing worldwide concern about the use of AI-equipped tools in government operations. Data breaches, misuse or unauthorised access, and inadvertent sharing of sensitive information via AI platforms are among the various matters of concern. The advisory is intended to ensure the ministry brings down the scope for the incidence of data breaches that may threaten the integrity of government communications.
Although this advisory pertains only to the ministry of finance, it has not yet been confirmed if the same sorts of restrictions will be put in place for other Indian government departments. The decision essentially notes that, going forward, government agencies must carefully assess the integration of AI tools into their workstreams so that the advantages of such technologies will not come at the cost of data safety.
To sum up, the suggestion from the Finance Ministry to limit the supply of AI applications like ChatGPT and DeepSeek reflects a very proactive defense against breaches of sensitive government information. It is part of a larger global push to ensure AI tools are prevented from leaking sensitive government operations.
